


Even Achilles Had a Heel

by qualapec



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Bonding, Conversations, Female Friendship, Gen, Quiet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-14
Updated: 2012-08-14
Packaged: 2017-11-12 03:16:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/486065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qualapec/pseuds/qualapec
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Avengers (2012). Post movie. "Betty and Jane have a chat during a thunderstorm."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even Achilles Had a Heel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aj on LJ](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=aj+on+LJ).



> Written for aj, to the prompt, "Jane & Betty, let the night pass in peace"

Jane was never quite comfortable with the crowded buildings of New England. Everything there felt old and claustrophobic. With the lights, it was a wonder people could ever even _see_ the stars. They always thought it was strange that she liked it out in the middle of nowhere. She didn’t need amenities, she just needed _sky_.

She sat, cross legged in a chair staring out at a greenbelt with a permeable walking path, complete with rain garden and drainage easement. Overhead, the thunder rolled over the old brick buildings and heavy droplets of rain splattered to earth.

Dr. Betty Ross silently padded over to the table and took her seat opposite Jane, placing two mismatched mugs steaming with water. Jane took the one that said, ‘on the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog’, and Betty took the one with a periodic table printed on the side.

“I’m sorry,” Betty apologized, “I don’t know what kind you like. I haven’t been able to restock lately…”

“It’s fine,” Jane said with a smile, reaching for the Constant Comet box. With practiced, steady fingers, she ripped the seal off and tugged the bag out, letting it bob in the water in front of her. Betty took an English Breakfast bag. They waited in silence for some time, content to study the rain and the plant life outside Betty’s condo.

“There are so many deer out here,” Jane commented, blowing lightly on the steaming surface.

Betty grinned back. “When I was a little girl there was, um, an apple tree in our back yard. My brother had allergies so we could never have  pets…I used to try to get as close as I could to them.” She motioned. “In a heavy rain like this, I could touch them.” Immediately, she laughed it off. “They are, um, kind of a pest. Huge road hazard.”

“Honestly my definition of hazard has minimized somewhat in the past year,” Jane replied, finally daring a small sip. It was still too hot.

Overhead, thunder rolled. Betty glanced up, hopefully.

“It’s not him,” Jane affirmed. “It’s um…different when Thor does it. I can’t quite explain it.”

“Oh…” Betty says, sounding slightly disappointed, although not for the reason Jane would think most obvious. “On your way over here did you see anything about India in the news?”

Jane shook her head. “They know there’s a conflict but it’s a dead zone on the inside.”

Betty looked away, staring off to some point in the distance. “It’s okay. They’re invincible.”

“Yes,” Jane replied diplomatically. She’d _been_ there when the Destroyer broke Thor’s body in a dozen places, all of them mortal. Powers or not, it was a memory seared into her mind for easy recall whenever she tricked herself into thinking resilient meant invulnerable. “I’m sure they’ll be fine. They always are.”

“This has been so good for Bruce,” Betty said out of nowhere. “I just--- being part of the team, you know?”

“I know,” Jane replied, laughing in her voice.  “Come on. I’m sure the shower will lighten up in an hour or so. We’re making an ice-cream-and-bad-movie-run.” It was a tradition started by Darcy, and what they always did when Thor was planetside and needed to go off and kill things (which happened, it seemed, with alarming regularity).

Betty grinned widely. “I hope you don’t mind watching _Night of the Living Dead_ with an expert in gamma radiation.”

“Only if you don’t mind watching _Star Trek_ with an astrophysicist.”

As soon as the rain lightened up, they put on their lightest raincoats and journeyed to the corner mart to stock up for the rest of the night. There were all varieties of ice cream and tea and instant coffee and potato chips. They filled the cart with dollar rentals so old that even the most specific scientist could let the inaccuracies slide. By the time they returned, it was getting dark, and more storms were on the way.


End file.
